Reversing the Dogma...of Dogma Grill

Things have changed at your favorite retro hot dog joint on Biscayne. Gone are the veggie dogs and LA-ish toppings like avocado and feta cheese. In their place: Philly cheesesteaks, oyster po’boys and roast beef sandwiches. The hot dogs are still there, too, with old school toppings like baked beans and cheez wiz. And sure, you can quote Beck when ordering that last one.
7030 Biscayne Boulevard, (305) 759-3433

Taste of the Nation 2011

This is my favorite food event of the summer. It's a chance to mingle with chefs, wine lovers and assorted riff raff - my kind of party. And the venue this year - Fairmont Turnberry - proved a spacious comfortable spot, with plenty of room to navigate between the stations and hunker down with your plastic tray with it's wine glass holder. Best in show: the Zellwood corn soup from Paula DaSilva at 1500 Degrees, spicy crispy tuna from Makoto ( I won't lie; I shamelessly Hoovered three pieces of those tasty bites as I passed the table), lobster tacos from Joe's Stone Crab and short rib dim sum from STK. Herewith a few photos.

Azul's Joel Huff with pea soup shooters topped with chicharon, gold flakes and cheese pebbles.

Paula DaSilva, always smiling and always cooking up something nice.

Joe's Stone Crab put out bit-size lobster tacos with diced mango and sweet pepper foam. 

The Luther @ Bulldog Burger

You know what's decadent? The Luther burger at Bulldog Burger (an offshoot of Bulldog BBQ). A riff on the Krispy Kreme burger, this calorie bomb doesn't actually employ a glazed doughnut for the bun. Instead the kitchen glazes thier regular brioche bun to give it that sticky, crusty feel. The sweet fluffyness contrasts pleasantly with the beefy heft of the eight-ounce patty.  Did I finish the whole damn thing myself? No. Half was enough for me, thanks. I was two bites away from being the poster child for this website.

Taste of the Nation Tix (with Discount Code)

Tickets are now on sale for Taste of the Nation which takes place next Thursday. There are forty reasons why you should get a jump on this, many of which consist of the best restaurants in town (Azul, BLT Steak, Michy’s) which will all be in attendance offering small plates. Also, there’s an open wine bar. Just in case you get thirsty.

July 7, 7-10p, Fairmont Turnberry Isle
19999 West Country Club Dr, 1-877-268-2783

Buy tickets here.
Use code MIAMEDIA for 10% off all tickets.

Peacock Garden Cafe, Coconut Grove

I like this spot. It's quaint. It's quiet. They make mint lemonade that reminds of the "limonada" I used to drink in Israel. It's even charming enough to forgive minor transgressions (like a dry but tasty tomato flatbread).

They serve craft beers like Terrapin ale. And the fish casserole is really more of a fish stew spiked with white wine. It stays warm in its cast iron pot. See the menu here. And check it out next time you're looking for a classy spot in the Grove.

2889 McFarlane Rd,305-774-3332.

That's Me, Blazing Trails

Goodbye, 944 magazine. It was nice be included in your last issue. 

Mapping Makoto

I love me some Makoto, that's for all the world to see. Since they opened a few months ago I've been back half a dozen times. Which is more than I can say for most openings in town. I usually go once at the beginning and then get distracted by other openings. Hazards of the job. And yes, I know you're all "Oh, poor Sara. Has to bounce around town stuffing her face with delicious food while making sure her two year-old doesn't get soy sauce on the iPhone. What a hard life." Seriously, you feel my pain, and your empathy warms my heart.

But back to Makoto and their amazing food. The prices have crept up a bit, which is to be expected. But the rolls are still reasonable ($8) and the bento box - at $18-$22 - is one of the best deals in town.
New favorites:
- uni fettucine (which had a brief appearance on the menu and seems to have disappared)
- tempura asparagus (the best bar snack ever invented)
Old favorites:
- frozen Kobe fried rice whereby the meat cooks as you stir it in the rice and poached egg coats everything with richness (below)
- roasted shisito peppers
- spicy crispy tuna
- chilled udon with chicken and peanuts
- tea-crusted tuna tataki

It's hard to find weak items on the menu but I've found a few worth skipping.
- the toro tartare - the $24 would be better spent on two rolls or two of their noodle dishes
- the tuna air bread - at $12 for two pieces the value is just not there
On the horizon: participation in Miami Spice and a happy hour that incorporates sake and maki. So yeah, you'll probably see me at the bar with my toddler sometime soon.

More Zeppelin Pics

In honor of being or recognized by SFDB's post of the week roundup, some more shots from my ride on the dirigible.

Feeling the wind in your hair, at 1200 feet.

Woman-ing the flight deck.

Haulover inlet and Bal Harbour. 

Rocking the Native shoes on their first zeppelin trip.

Riding a Zeppelin Over Miami

The other day I rode a Zeppelin. I know. A zeppelin. Do they even make those things anymore? The answer is yes. Yes they do. They make them in Germany and they haven't stopped since 1908, Hindenburg be damned. I rode on Airship Ventures' Eureka ship, the largest passenger airship in the world. 246 feet of helium-filled goodness. It was like sailing on air.

The gondola only holds 12 people and you only need to stay seated for about 90 seconds after lifting off. Then you're free to walk around the cabin, stick your head out the window (!) and take in the views of the landscape below. The ship is only here through the weekend and offering tours that least anywhere from an hour to an hour and half. More info here.

The condo canyon in Sunny Isles.

Our pilot was Captain Katherine Board, the only female airship pilot in the world. So yes, she's hard core. And there are a few female blimp pilots out there, but piloting this beast is a completely different game.

Our tour left the airfield at North Perry Airport in Hollywood, then veered east and south, sailing over the ocean. We soared to 1200 feet, thus allowing for detailed views of the landscape below. Floating over South Florida's flat terrain I was struck with how many swimming pools are out there - practically every home has one - and how interesting all those condo buildings look from the top. We rarely take in those buildings in all their skyscraping splendor but here I was able to appreciate some of their structural nuances.

The panoramic back window.

Gulfstream race track (and massive parking lots) in Hallandale.

New Restaurants You Haven't Heard Of

Restaurants come and go in this city like promiscuous reality stars. Some of them receive (and deserve) lots of coverage. Some fall through the media cracks. Here are a few spots that have popped up that may be worth checking out.

• The Joint in South Miami.
• The Boilerhouse, next to Transit Lounge, which is staying open.
• Chinois Chinois, a Chinese-sushi hybrid near Coral Way.
• Vero's by the Bay, on the Rickenbacker Causeway.

Sweet Point Bakery, Midtown

The latest dining trend in the city: burgers (still). And a close second - bakery/cafe hybrids. There's Michelle Bernstein's Crumb on Parchment which has the power of her name and touch to make it an instant hit. And little farther south in Midtown there's Sweet Point Bakery, an unpretentious spot that instantly won me over.

The menu's not very exciting - the usual sandwiches/salads/pastas you'd expect - and they're sort of oblivious to the whole eco-locavore-seasonal trend that other places are so quick to tout. But the cakes are good, the staff is friendly and there's plenty of room to spread out with your laptop and toddler (that's how I roll these days) and take advantage of their strong coffee and free wifi.
Also - all their baked goods are half off after 9p, a nice touch.

3252 NE 1st Ave
786-477-6235

Cinco de Mayo @ Ritz Key Biscayne

Lizarran: $2 Tapas in the Gables

Yesterday found me checking out new tapas spot Lizarran. It's a few blocks off Miracle Mile in an otherwise quiet stretch of Alhambra Plaza. There are 200 outposts of this Spanish chain throughout the world, including locations in NYC and California. This is Florida's first. There's an extensive tapas bar in the back where the kitchen team is constantly replenishing platters of bites, mostly consisting of baguette slices topped with ham, smoked salmon, anchovies, piquillo peppers stuffed with crab. They all go for $2 each.

The "executive" lunch menu yesterday included three courses for $14. You could do three tapas for an app or choose a salad or soup. Mains included a grilled chicken or bacalao in Vizcaina sauce (tomatoes, garlic, white wine). The bacalao comes in a rustic crock with a side of rice. Dessert included leche frita, or fried milk slices (like fried flan).

Sneak Peek at Makoto

Stephen Starr's Japanese masterpiece Makoto opens at The Bal Harbour Shops tomorrow. I stopped by over the weekend to take a few shots and taste a few dishes. So far, so good. The restaurant is named for chef Makoto Okuwa, the executive sushi chef at Morimoto in Philly. So expect pristine seafood and modern Asian dishes with fancy trappings: Kobe beef fried rice with frosty foie gras, lobster shabu shabu with ginger lime vinagrette and Kindai toro topped with caviar.
The space is grand (200 seats) but the vibe is laid-back. Good for a power lunch, great for a date, fine for an early dinner with kids. It feels like the middle ground between Zuma and Gigi - not quite as pricey or stuffy as Zuma, yet not as rough around the edges (or filled with tattooed hipsters) as Gigi.
Mostly, I'm overjoyed to see more Asian restaurants in my hood.
See the menu here.

Lychee martini made with sake and rosemary.

Tea-smoked tuna with avocado and pickled onions.

The Bal Harbour roll: crab, spicy tuna, shrimp, shiso, mint and jalapeno.

Kurobuto pork belly with micro chives and pork cracklings.

Chicken Tsukune meatballs topped with quail egg.

Outdoor seating flanks the whitewashed bar in a courtyard inside the mall.

9700 Collins Avenue
Suite 107, Bal Harbour, FL 33154
(305) 864-8600

French Caribbean and French Macarons

A couple new openings to keep you busy this weekend.

• La Cocotte, a cute French-Caribbean spot in downtown.
• Madmac, the pricey French macaron company has opened two locations in Miami - one in North Miami and the other at the Bal Harbour Shops (might want to wear a bullet-proof vest for that visit. Also, to continue with a parenthetical tirade, people in Bal Harbour get citations for riding their bikes on the sidewalk but someone opens fire in the mall and they can't find the person? WTF?).
• And Clay Conley's new spot in Palm Beach, Buccan, is open and doing delicious things, so I hear. 

Crudo Oil

I'm in a crudo mood. Not carpaccio, not sashimi, not ceviche. Crudo. Paper-thin slices of fish slightly-marinated in the Italian tradition. Tiraditos, the dish's Peruvian cousin, are too boldly-spiced, too reliant on the zesty fire of aji amarillo. Altamare chef Simon Stojanovic understands the delicate dance of the crudo.  Meaty hunks of snapper are arrayed with shaved buddha's hand (a Japanese citrus) giving the dish a bitter bite. And below, thin slices of sheepshead are bathed in lemon and olive oil and topped with shaved hearts of palm and oranges. It's everything you want cured fish to be - bright, balanced, with a touch of crunch. But mostly silky, oceany.

This Friday: A Full Moon and Endless Raw Bar @ Ritz South Beach

Best Bite of SobeWFF (So Far)

Setai chef David Werly's hollowed-out egg filled with caramelized eel topped with a lychee and foie gras foam, black lava salt and jasmine flowers. Consumed at 12:30am at Dim Sum Disco at the Setai.

Let Them Eat Cake @ 1111 Lincoln

The name of the ice sculptor? Vanilla Ice. Yes, I made that up.

Cupcakes were the dominant cake form on display. No complaints here.

New York chef Geoffrey Zakarian and his lovely wife Margaret not saying anything about the restaurant he may or may not open in Miami. And not saying whether the aforementioned restaurant will or will not be located in South Beach.

Burger Bash 2011: It Was a Rare Occasion

Amstel Light's National Contest-winning burger in collaboration with Greenhouse Tavern: twenty per cent lamb, anchovies, fennel slaw on brioche bun. 

Burger recipe winner Danielle Williams and Greenhouse Tavern chef Jonathan Sawyer.

Morimoto, exuding Japanese cool.